Out of the past: March 21

1998

Winter weather greeted Missourians yesterday on what officially was the first day of spring; a seemingly confused Mother Nature dumped snow on parts of the state and soaking rain on an already soggy Southeast Missouri; the region saw snow flurries; the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau reached flood stage for the first time since June, and the Main Street Levee District has closed the Themis Street floodgate in anticipation that the river would rise to 35 feet on the gauge by tomorrow.

The city of Cape Girardeau and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will pursue federal condemnation procedures against four property owners in order to get land needed for a planned detention basin north of the city; the city wants to build a 157-acre dry detention basin on County Road 620 north of Route W as part of the Cape La Croix Creek/Walker Branch Flood Control Project; but four property owners' refusals to sell to the city are holding up progress on the project.

1973

Striking members of Teamsters and Chauffeurs Local 574 here have returned to work at Cauble and Field Fruits and Vegetables, while it appears a Local 574 strike at Ludlow Corp. is on the verge of settlement following eight weeks of deadlocked negotiations; both strikes, which began early in February, stemmed from unsuccessful attempts at reaching new three-year work contracts.

A land acquisition proposal that would almost double the size of Hawn State Park in Ste. Genevieve County will be the major item of business before the Missouri Park Board when it meets in Cape Girardeau on Thursday night; the board also plans to tour Trail of Tears State Park north of here, particularly the long-delayed small-boat marina.

1948

A 74-voice community chorus, which has decided to become a permanent organization, presents the Easter cantata "The Seven Last Words of Christ" by DuBois, at the State College auditorium; the Palm Sunday offering is sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance; the chorus is under the direction of Frieda Rieck; Don McNeely serves as narrator of the program.

The Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance, at a recent meeting, voted to assume sponsorship of three services held annually during Holy Week; in past years, the alliance sponsored a Palm Sunday service and the community sunrise Easter service; at the request of the rector of Christ Episcopal Church, the alliance will also sponsor the Good Friday service.

1923

I.R. Kelso in St. Louis has mailed the articles of incorporation for the Kelso Oil Co. to the county recorder at Jackson and will soon be doing business in Cape Girardeau; E.F. Horton and E.C. Smith, officers in the corporation, will have active charge of the business here, serving the district with genuine Texaco oil products; their main plant will be located on Kingshighway near the Hely quarry, where they will have a filling station; later, they expect to have at least two filling stations in the main section of the city.

Tax bills are to be issued shortly by City Clerk A.P. Behrens against property holders in the West End residence section who will benefit by the widening of Themis Street from Pacific Street to West End Boulevard; as soon as the tax bills are issued, city employees will begin widening the street; Themis now extends only to Pacific Street.

-- Sharon K. Sanders